Improvement in rotary harrows



R'Rakesuaw.

PMENTEB JULll 1871 Ml M m1 'neww'em [5w/envar UNITED STATES ROLANDBAKESTRAV, OF WYOMING, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT lIN ROTARY HARROWS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 116,991, dated July 1l,1871.

To all whom t may concem:

Be it known that I, ROLAND RAKnsTRAw, of Wyoming, in the county of Starkand State of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement inRotary Harrows; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the.same, reference being had to the annexed drawing making a part of thisspecification, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure l ofthe drawing is a plan view of my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical section ofthe same.

This invention has relation to certain novel improvements in theconstruction of rotary harrows. rEhe implement which is the subject ofsaid improvements is composed of a number of radial arms, provided withteeth, and coupled at their inner ends to a central disk or wheel. Adraft-beam is attached to said disk by a vertical king-bolt, whichsupports on its upper end an adjustable shaft, upon which a spade-wheelis so journa-led that the spades on the ends of the spokes, by coming incontact with the soil, arrest the spokes, and by this means cause theha-rrow to rotate without the intervention of any gearing whatever. Theimprovements consist in the hereinafter-described modes of coupling theradial arms to the central disk, and of connecting their outer endstogether. Also, in the peculiar construction of the spade-wheel, wherebybroken or bent spokes may be easily removed and others substituted, allthe spokes being secured in place in such a manner as will conduce totheir strength and durability.

In the accompanying drawin illustratin this invention, A represents theradial arms, provided with any kind of known teeth in equal oralternately varying numbers. B designates a central disk constructedwith a flange, b, surrounding its upper part, through which are cutvertical slots b', of equal number with the arms A. Under each of theseslots is a recess, into which the inner end of a radial arm ts, andbetween these recesses are projections b. The radial arms A may becoupled with the disk B by any of the three methods shown in thedrawing, viz., by means of a clevis, C; by means of asimple hook, C', onthe top of the arm, and hooking upward through one of the slots b; or bymeans of a hook formed on a clevis, C, and projecting from the top partthereof in like manner through one of said slots. By having the armsthus coupled tothe disk B a certain degree of vertical play is allowed,sufiicient to overcome the ordinary inequalities of the surface overwhich the implement passes. By having the hooks by which said couplingis accomplished to enter their a-ppropriate slots in an upward directionthe ends of the radial arms may be arranged within the recesses intheperiphery of the disk B in such a manner that the arms cannot be doubledin toward the disk in a downward direction. The employment of hooks inthemselves, independently ofthe precise position in which they areplaced, allows the barrow-arms A to be readily removed and replaced.rlhe outer ends of the radial arms may be connected by any of the fourfollowing-described methods clearly illustrated in the drawing, viz.:1st, by means of two transverse bars, D, one placed on top and the otherunderneath two adjoining arms, to which they are secured by bolts andnuts. For greater security, a third bolt may be placed between the armsthrough the bars D. 2d, by means of a transverse bar of like character,D', having one end bolted to the upper side of an arm, and the other endbolted t0 the under side of the next arln. 3d, by means of two rods, D,of proper size for strength, placed between two adjoining arms, onereaching transversely from the upper side of one arm to the under sideof the next, and the other rod reaching from the upper side of thelatter to the under side of the former. 4th, by the use of but a singlerod, D", reaching diagonally from one arm to the next, as shown inFig. 1. Vhen either double or single rodsare used, as specified, theyare made with a hook at one end, and at the other end bent and insertedupward through an arm, and an eye formed at the bent end, into which thehooks catch, as represented in the drawing. This eye is sol turned thatwhen the hook of the next rod is fastened therein it canenable theoperator to unfasten the last rod and4 turn it so that the next may beunfastened, and so on. E represents the draft-beam or tongue, attachedto the disk B by a central king-bolt, F.

Fl represents an adjustable shaft, perforated properly and secured tothe king-bolt by a pin,f. G designates the spokes of the spade-wheelwith their outer ends iiattened, pointed, and bent, as shown in drawing.These spokes are secured between two plates, H, which are groovedradially to receive them, and are held together by bolts and nuts sothat they may be separated in order to remove a spoke. The plates Hconstitute a hub lfor the spade-wheel, and are journaled on the endofthe shaft F. I designates a rod connecting the tongue E and shaft F.

The draft of this implement is Central, and when the harrow is dra-wnforward over the soil the spokes of the spade-weeel enter the same andcause the wheel to rotate, and the rotation thereot' by the leverage ofthe spokes against the radial arms A causes the hai-row to rotate. The

ends of the spokes are bent so as not to catch on the arms A.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The center disk B, constructed with the outside arms b, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. The disk B, in combination with the radial arms A, independentlyhooked to the disk to allow the vertical play, as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

I/Vitnesses: ROLAND RA KESTRA YV.

AUGUs'rUs G. HAMMOND, OLIX/'1m D. BAR'ro.

